The Dutch Wheelman cycling team left the Bloomsburg, PA, city limits and attacked the rolling hills in the country. In the back of the pack, nurse Doug Williams found himself paired with college student John Hernandez. The two got to know each other, and over the next couple of weeks Doug watched his buddy reel from a breakup with his girlfriend. Soon Doug felt God nudging him to talk to John about Jesus.

Two weeks later, while working a race, Doug and John sat in the lead car watching the pack coming over the horizon. "What's your relationship with God like?" Doug asked. John snapped back that the topic was personal (complete with expletives). The lean racer dropped the discussion but put John on his church's prayer list. They continued to train together and refuel over pizza. A couple of weeks later, God again prompted Doug to talk to John about Jesus.

But Doug, gun-shy from his first attempt, didn't know how to bring up the topic. Then he came across a card on which Dusty Davis, a staff member with Athletes in Action (the sports ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ), told the story of his spiritual journey.

Doug nonchalantly handed John the card with Dusty's story, encouraging him to read about the Oregon cyclist when he got the chance. John threw the card in his gear bag. When rain kept him from riding the next day, he dug out the card. Dusty's story mirrored his own, and the more he read, the more he wanted what Dusty had found. Finally, John cried out to God and received Christ.

Because Doug took the initiative and Dusty told his story, John gave his life to Christ. Today, five years later, Doug works with AIA at Kent State University while John teaches at a Christian school and tells others how they can know Jesus. But many Christians have never helped someone come to know Christ.

In fact, only 8 percent of Americans tell others about Christ, according to a 1997 survey by the Barna Research Group. Many are afraid to bring up Jesus in a conversation, or get tongue-tied when the opportunity arises. Fortunately, telling what we know best--our own story--helps overcome awkwardness and lets people relate Christ to their own life.

Our story doesn't have to be dramatic. Barbara McKinney thought that since she grew up going to church, her testimony was dull. When someone asked Barb to tell her story at a Dallas Christian Women's Club, she felt she had nothing to say. But her husband, Nelson, counseled her differently. "When God presents you with an opportunity to share Christ," he said, "you don't pray about it, you do it."

A pastor helped Barbara pinpoint what God had done in her life, and she did just fine telling her story. So fine, in fact, that groups of women from neighboring states invited her to speak to them as well. Barbara learned that no story is dull when God is at work.

Just as God has worked in Barbara's life, He has also worked in your life. When it comes to your story, you are the expert. Taking time to prepare your story helps overcome the fear of what to say when God nudges you to talk about Jesus.

Why not do it right now? Try hanging your story on the following three pegs: Before you received Christ, how you received Christ, and after you received Him.

Now that you have the pegs to hang your story on, end with a question that requires a response:

Can you relate to any of this?
Where are you in your own spiritual journey?
Would you like to receive Christ right now?

Take time to answer these questions and then practice telling your story to a fellow believer. Keep it short so you can naturally use it in conversation. Weed out words like "saved" or "justified" that your Christian friends may understand but that are foreign to those without Christ.

Remember you're giving people a snapshot of who you are and what is important in your life. "This generation longs for real stories," says Mary Lou Davis with AIA. "They're not into empirical formulas, but something that touches the heart. The testimony is the perfect tool. It is more of a story with suspense and climax resulting in the ultimate experience of knowing God personally."

Other experts agree. "Baby busters [those born from about 1965-1980]," says Dieter Zander, a pastor at Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago, "are attracted to Christ by what's happening in the lives of Christians." Although skeptics argue theological points, few will refute your life. In fact, people will relate to you and through your story will see that Jesus is real.

Consider Eva. I met her on a train in Poland during the summer of 1986. Eager to practice her English, Eva struck up a conversation that quickly turned to spiritual things. As I finished explaining the gospel, her scrunched-up face showed me something wasn't clear. I asked her if it made sense. "Yes," said Eva, "but how does Jesus relate to your life?" When I explained how trusting Christ had affected my study habits in college and had given me purpose, she could relate. Her face relaxed and she wanted to receive Jesus.

Someone like Eva or John lives in your neighborhood, works with you or sits next to you at your child's soccer game. Next time God nudges you to talk to them about Jesus, be ready with your story. Even someone turned off by religion is open to a story that strikes home.

For more information on how to use your personal testimony in evangelism, visit the World Changers Radio Web site at www.5clicks.com, or call 1-877-FOURLAWS.

Before you received Christ:

What did your life revolve around? Attitudes, needs, problems?

How was that unsatisfying?

How you received Christ: